July 31, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir has downplayed possibility of a peace agreement soon with the armed opposition faction led by his former deputy, Riek Machar, criticizing the compromise proposal from IGAD-Plus as a designed document to perpetuate the war in the oil rich Upper Nile region.

July 29, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s ruling SPLM party has formed three committees to study a peace proposal document released last week by mediators of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to end the 19-month long civil war in the country.

In a meeting chaired by president Salva Kiir on Wednesday, the SPLM officials in the executive and legislative organs gave the committees 48-hours to report their findings to a plenary.

July 28, 2015 (JUBA) – Authorities in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state have asked the central government and aid agencies to help combat looming famine in the region.

In an interview with Sudan Tribune on Tuesday, the state information minister, Mark Akio, said farmers failed to harvest from the first phase of the farming season as cereal stores were already running out of the available food stock.

July 28, 2015 (JUBA) - More than 19 people have been killed in sectional clashes in Warrap state between rival Dinka communities, generating fears that more retaliatory attacks could be carried out.

Ariech Mayar Ariec, deputy head of parliamentary committee for information and communications told Sudan Tribune on Monday that more than 12 people have been confirmed killed in three separate locations between two sections in the area.

July 20, 2015 (JUBA) – Thousands of people in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state are likely to face severe hunger due to lack of rainfall and unexpected crop failure, an official told Sudan Tribune Monday.

The state minister for agriculture, Clement Chichim, disclosed that the greater Kapeota counties were the worst-affected regions. Greater Kapeota consists of Kapoeta North, Kapoeta East, Kapoeta South and Budi counties.

Chichim said other Eastern Equatoria counties of Magwi, Lafon, Ikotos and Torit also experienced rainfall shortage.

July 20, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan peace talks will resume later this week in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in what is expected to be the last round of talks for the negotiating parties to finalize a peace deal, an opposition official told Sudan Tribune on Monday.

July 19, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government on Sunday expressed optimism at overcoming difficulties in indirect peace negotiations with the leadership of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by former vice president, Riek Machar, in ending the 19-month long civil war in the country. The opposition expressed reservations.

July 17, 2015 (BOR) - About 51 organised farmers who invested in agro-business in Jonglei state capital of Bor, producing vegetable, maize for sale, have been severely affected by drought this year and appealed for intervention from relief organizations.

July 8, 2015 (TORIT) - South Sudan rebel forces under the country’s former vice president, Riek Machar, have urged the citizens in Nimule town, at the border with Uganda, and other border towns to evacuate from the strategic towns along the South Sudan-Uganda border with immediate effect.

According to Lt. Col. James Lokudu, who spoke on behalf of the SPLA [IO] forces under the overall command of Maj.Gen. Martin Kenyi, the rebels attacked Nimule on Saturday night to test the strength of government troops in the area, saying a serious attack was underway.

July 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) said that 3000 South Sudanese families have recently arrived in Sudan’s White Nile state bringing the total number of refugees from the newborn country in the state 84,000 refugees.

SRCS executive director in the White Nile, Osama Osman, said that 3197 families have arrived in the seven cantonment sites in the state from June 1 to July 5, 2015.

June 30, 2015 (RUMBEK) – A new health institution has been opened in South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal state with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the state health ministry are supporting

According to the state health minister, Tong Deng Anei, Aweil Health Science and Training Institute will only target midwives, clinical officers and nurses.

Those who complete training, he told Sudan Tribune Tuesday, be awarded diplomas.

June 26, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan Peace talks will resume later in July in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, the regional bloc mediating the talks, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) disclosed.

At a press conference he gave on Thursday, IGAD lead mediator, Seyoum Mesfin, said negotiations between South Sudan’s government and opposition faction (SPLM-IO) led by former vice president, Riek Machar, will resume next month shortly after the Ramadan fasting is over.

June 24, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) - The African Union (AU) Wednesday postponed indefinitely a reconciliation meeting for Ngok Dinka and Messiriya Abyei community leaders after a last-minute note from the South Sudanese side.

In a bid to break the tensions between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities in the disputed Abyei area, the co-chairmen of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) agreed on 30 March 2015, to bring together the traditional chiefs of the two communities to discuss local issues and to promote reconciliation.

June 13, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government has rejected a peace proposal by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African regional bloc mediating peace talks aimed at bridging gaps between rival warring parties and end the 18-month civil war in the young nation.

June 12, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese rebels have reacted to key points of a draft final peace agreement with president Salva Kiir’s government which the East African regional bloc (IGAD) has proposed, describing it as an agreement only between Juba and greater Upper Nile region which would encourage the other two regions of Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria to continue with the war

The draft agreement gives the SPLM-IO 33% power-sharing ratio at the national level and 53% in the three states of Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei within the oil-rich greater Upper Nile region.